Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton Appeals to Con­tin­ue Law­suit Against Bor­der NGO Facil­i­tat­ing Ille­gal Immigration

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will appeal the dismissal of his lawsuit seeking to close a nongovernmental organization (“NGO”) known as “Annunciation House” that directly facilitates illegal immigration.

In December 2022, Governor Abbott requested that the Office of the Attorney General investigate the role of NGOs in “planning and facilitating the illegal transportation of illegal immigrants across our borders.” Pursuant to this request, the Office of the Attorney General has been investigating multiple NGOs for illegal and criminal behavior.

Through an investigation, the OAG found that Annunciation House is in a category of its own among these NGOs, openly operating in violation of the law without any pretense of trying to comply with the law. According to Annunciation House’s in-court admissions, its employees enter Mexico to retrieve aliens, including aliens who have been denied entry by Border Patrol, to bring them into the United States. Its website describes Annunciation House as “the primary receiving site for refugees who have fallen from the border wall.” And its Executive Director admitted under oath that he will not let law enforcement into the facility, using the excuse that the presence of law enforcement will “frighten” the illegal aliens.

Earlier this year, after conducting an investigation, the Office of the Attorney General asked a district judge in El Paso to enjoin Annunciation House’s illegal operations. The judge concluded that it was “outrageous and intolerable” that the Office of the Attorney General would even investigate this conduct. The judge falsely accused the Office of the Attorney General of investigating Annunciation House because of the organization’s “support for the Catholic Church.” The judge’s assertion is not supported by any evidence, and the judge tellingly failed to identify any.

“For too long, Annunciation House has flouted the law and contributed to the worsening illegal immigration crisis at Texas’s border with Mexico,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I am appealing this case and will continue to vigorously enforce the law against any NGO engaging in criminal conduct.”

To read the filing, click here.